I was suprised at how difficult it was for me to get through Mansfield Park! This was due partly to the other books I was reading at the time...more contemporary I guess. I think I would enjoy MP more during an in-depth study of Austen's works, where I was more immersed in the times. For example, it did take me a while to understand why "the play" was such a big deal, more specificallywhy it was a big "no-no." But once I had an understanding of the moral issue, it was interesting to watch everyone's reaction to it.
I felt sorry for Fanny, but it was harder to feel close to her. I felt like there were more descriptions of other characters than of Fanny. She "grew up" so quickly in those first few chapters that I didn't get a chance to "know" her. It's a story of a quiet character. One of the things to admire in her is her consistency. She didn't let others influence her in a bad way. She didn't bow to peer pressure! The simplest way to put it is that she is so "good."
I read another review that made a comparison between this and P&P which I thought was interesting....Elizabeth Bennett is both "witty AND good" whereas Fanny is just "good". Mr. Darcy is "rich AND good" where Henry Crawford is just "rich." I think this makes MP more real in a sense---the main characters are not loaded with attributes we are all drawn to..they're pretty normal.
What did I think about Edmund? I wanted to be annoyed with him for seeming to be flaky and falling in love with Mary Crawford. (side note: I never felt comfortable with Mary--she acted all innocent but I think she had to know what she was doing! And I was so upset with her for going out riding on Fanny's horse so that Fanny was stuck indoors!) Anyway, I can't fault Edmund too much because I did the same thing he did---OVERLOOKED Fanny. But I was glad that he finally saw who Mary really was, and that he stayed true to himself.
So, I like all these topics in MP--there is a lot to talk about and discuss--again an in-depth study would be the way to go with this one. It just wasn't an easy one to read!! I told Jennie that I'm going to re-read one of my other Austen books this month (Persuasion) and I'll certainly continue to draw comparisons about why I enjoy some Austen books more than others.
